Introduction
Recent advances in scientific knowledge have produced sophisticated analytical techniques surrounding DNA, whereby samples can be traced to specific individuals. This has particular practical value to criminal investigations, as DNA has been produced in court as evidence to help secure convictions; DNA matches are now so sensitive that according to statistical probability, only one person could have left the sample. The work in this field has obvious implications for other pursuits, including genealogy; the ability to connect branches of the family, often separated by both geographical and chronological distance, is only one possible use, alongside more prosaic activities such as determining paternity.
Yet until recently, the expense of analysis has prohibited the development of home test kits, basically because the more sophisticated comparisons were simply too costly to perform in the domestic market. Thankfully, the growth of companies across the world has driven prices down whilst enabling more wide-ranging tests to be developed, and now DNA testing is becoming an integral part of proving a link to a branch of the family, particularly when the paper trail runs cold.
Published: 2006-09-14
© MMIX